top of page
Powhatan Hill Marker.jpg

Richmond Indigenous Initiative  (RII)

Created in the name of remembrance, recognition, reconciliation and respect -- historically and spiritually centered on Powhatan Hill

RII Mission and Purpose
The mission of the Richmond Indigenous Initiative (RII) is to develop a multi-faceted physical and virtual, intellectual and artistic connection for Richmonders and Virginians with the history, culture and future of Tribal Nations in Virginia as well as America’s indigenous communities. Historically and spiritually centered on Powhatan Hill in Richmond’s East End and targeting the entire Richmond regional community, the primary RII purpose is to provide folks of all ages and backgrounds, especially our youth, with enhanced cross-cultural understanding through education, awareness, and interactive activities. Ultimately it is hoped RII and its many connected programs and efforts will establish the RVA as the epicenter of remembrance, recognition, reconciliation and respect for Tribal Nations in Virginia and America’s indigenous peoples.

​

RII Components

Current and proposed Powhatan Hill Events, Projects & Programs

  • Annual Richmond Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration on the second Monday in October

  • Annual event on May 23rd celebrating the May 23, 1607 meeting between the English and the Powhatan Indians on Powhatan Hill - Richmond's Natal Day

  • A Virginia Indian tribute park called the Powhatan Hill Museum, transforming a portion of Powhatan Hill Park overlooking Williamsburg Road into an outdoor interactive museum celebrating Virginia’s eleven recognized Indian Tribes, including a replica of an Indian long house and a Virginia Indians Peace Pole

  • Permanent signage in the community center, park and pool area offering images and information about Powhatan and the Virginia Indian Tribes

  • Periodic programming in the community center (gym / conference rooms) and outdoor Powhatan Hill Museum space to enhance education and build awareness of the history and culture of Virginia’s Indian Tribes and America’s Indigenous communities, including:

    • Lectures / classes discussing Powhatan, Pocahontas and Virginia’s Indian Tribes

    • Periodic programs and presentations from members of Virginia’s Indian Tribes

    • Display of indigenous artifacts and historical items in the Community Center

    • Customized after-school programs for RVA students available for youth orgs like the Boys & Girls Clubs,  Peter Paul RVA, Blue Sky Fund, Rise Academy, and Next-Up provider organizations

    • Customized programs for RVA home-school students and parents

  • Pocahontas Gardens, a set of gardens across the RVA starting with an indigenous demonstration garden at the Powhatan Hill Community Garden beginning with a Three Sisters Garden featuring the companion planting scheme using corn (maize), beans and squash - in collaboration with the Upper Mattaponi Tribe and the Chickahominy Indian Tribe Eastern Division

  • Indigenous inspired public art in the Powhatan Hill community center and park

  • Tribal Reservation & Tribal Land Field Trip Program = RII arranged field trips to tribal reservations and tribal centers for students and adults

 

The Monacan Collaboration

  • Conceived and facilitated by The Pocahontas Project, the Monacan Collaboration is a growing connection between the Monacan Indian Nation and Monacan High School (Chesterfield) intended to become a mutually beneficial relationship between the tribal community and the school community – students, teachers, staff, parents and alumni.

 

Powhatan in Richmond Investigation & Database

  • All RII events, projects and programs will benefit from this investigation and resulting database. The Pocahontas Project  is currently collecting and organizing all recorded indigenous history and artifacts available in libraries and institutions in the regional community now known as the RVA; from first contact in 1607 to today. The yet-to-be-designed searchable public database will include articles, books, manuscripts, periodicals, art and artifacts, maps, photographs, posters, videos and anything else connected to the history, culture and future of Tribal Nations in Virginia and America's indigenous peoples. Through collaboration with the VCU Department of History and a student internship, RII benefited in 2025 from 140 hours of research, collecting over 500 individual sources in preparation for inclusion in the database. The investigation is ongoing with a second VCU History internship for the summer of 2026, with the database planned to be available to the public by the end of 2026.

 

RVA Student Virginia Indian Education and Awareness

  • The Pocahontas Project has been working for several years with Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield Public Schools in an effort to create a set of education and awareness components for RVA schools to use to immerse their students in the history, culture and future of Tribal nations in Virginia. Along with maximizing classroom opportunities aligned with Virginia SOLs, experiential learning components are being developed to include field trips to tribal reservations and tribal centers as well as school visits by Virginia tribal leaders and cultural enrichment specialists. Also planned is the creation of a set of videos specially geared towards the indigenous oriented Virginia SOLs for elementary, middle and high school students. 

​

RII Collaborators - invited

The Pocahontas Project intends to invest and involve all subsets of the Richmond Regional Community - the RVA - and has started by connecting with the following organizations and entities, inviting them to collaborate in developing, marketing and benefiting from RII and its programs:

  • Virginia’s eleven (11) State Recognized Indian Tribes

  • City of Richmond

    • Mayor Avula + Richmond City Council / Richmond Parks & Recreation

    • Richmond Public Schools

  • Counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan

    • Public School Systems in each County

  • Commonwealth of Virginia

    • Library of Virginia

    • Virginia War Memorial

    • Department of Historic Resources (DHR)

    • Secretary of the Commonwealth – Candi Mundon King

      • Kara Canaday, Virginia Tribal Ombudsman

    • Virginia Delegates and Senators representing the RVA

  • University of Richmond

  • Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Virginia Humanities

  • The Valentine / Virginia Museum of History & Culture / Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

  • National Park Service – Richmond

  • Preservation Virginia / Historic Richmond / Venture Richmond / James River Association

  • Greater Fulton Civic Association / Church Hill Association

  • Richmond Region Tourism / Virginia Tourism Corporation

  • Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

  • Episcopal Diocese of Virginia / Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia

  • Richmond Flying Squirrels

 

RII Historic and Cultural Resources in the RVA
Along with Powhatan Hill, the RVA is blessed with many historic sites and naming connections to Powhatan, Pocahontas and the history and culture of Virginia’s Indian Tribes, including:

  • Shockoe

  • Image of Pocahontas on the Henrico County Seal

  • Varina on the James – Home to John & Rebecca Rolfe, where son Thomas was born (Henrico)

  • Pocahontas Middle School (Henrico)

  • Orapax – home to Powhatan 1609-1614 (New Kent)

  • Pocahontas Trail (New Kent)

  • Kippax Plantation – Burial place of Thomas Rolfe and daughter Jane (Hopewell)

  • Citie of Henricus / Henricus Historical Park (Chesterfield)

  • Pocahontas Parkway (Chesterfield + Henrico)

  • Pocahontas State Park (Chesterfield) > https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/pocahontas

  • Monacan High School (Chesterfield)

  • Community of Matoaca (Chesterfield) – named after Matoaka (Wikipedia) >https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matoaca,_Virginia

  • Matoaca Elementary, Middle and High Schools (Chesterfield)

  • Powhatan County

  • Powhatan Elementary, Middle and High Schools

  • Pocahontas Elementary School (Powhatan)

  • Powhatan State Park > https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/powhatan

  • Mantle, the Virginia Indian Tribute @ the VA Capitol Grounds (Richmond)

  • Pocahontas Building (Richmond / home to the VA General Assembly for many years)

  • Library of Virginia Indigenous Perspectives > https://www.lva.virginia.gov/events/exhibitions/indigenous

  • Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) American Indian Collections

  • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Indigenous Collections

  • Richmond Folk Festival’s long time embrace of Indigenous Music

Indigenous related historical markers in Richmond

Indigenous related historical markers in Henrico

Indigenous related historical markers in Chesterfield

Indigenous related historical markers in New Kent

Indigenous related historical markers in Hanover

​

​

For more information contact Rick Tatnall / The Pocahontas Project

rick@pocahontasproject.org​

Contact:

The Pocahontas Project

514 North 30th Street

Richmond, Virginia 23223

804-325-3674

info@pocahontasproject.org

 

Rick Tatnall – Founder

  • Youtube

© 2020-2026 The Pocahontas Project

bottom of page